William wright



WILLIAM WRIGHT, O F NEW YORK, N. Y.

Letters Patent No. 76,027, dated March 24, 1868.

IMPROVEMENT IN GUT-OFF VALVE-GEAR.

titte Srlpttlt referir it im i-lgta tritrts ntrnt mit mating part at 11,12 stuur.

To ALL WHoM IT MAY coNcnRN; y

Be it known that I, WILLIAM WRIGHT, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Operating Ythe Cut-Oil' to Valves ot' Steam-Engines, of which the followingis a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming part ot' this specification, and in whieh- `Figure l represents a rear view of the main valves as applied to asteam-engine cylinder, with myimproved mode of giving a cut-off action tothe same, and

Figure-2 a partly sectional View, taken mainlyns indicated bythe line a' a: in tig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

My invention consists in a novel combination or arrangement of devices for operating theinduction-valves of a steam-engine, and of giving to them a variable cut-off action, irrespective of the direction in which the engine travels, by combining with separate induction-valvcs, through suitable toes, two independently hung cams or wipers, the one of which serves to give a fixed or invariable opening-action to said valves on opposite sides of it, while the other operates to give avariable closing or cut-oit' action to such valves, the 'opening and closing or cut-oil' toes for the one valve being disconnected from the opening and closing toes of the other valve, and each of these independent sets of toes, on opposite sides of the cams, being geared together, so that the separate induction-valves have both their opening and closing or cnt-o, action given them from the same side of the cams, operating shaft or shafts on or next to which they lie. y

Referring to the accompanying drawing, A represents the cylinder of an ordinary reciprocating pistonengine, and B B valve-boxes or chambers at opposite ends thereof, the same being supplied with steam in the usual or any suitable manner, and being provided with independent valves C C', preferably of a gridiron character, though other forms may be used, and operating, as they are reciprocated or thrown, to establish alternately at opposite ends, communication of the engine-cylinder with the steam-spaces of the valve-boxes.

These separate or independent valves have connected with them in an adjustable manner, or otherwise attached to the outer ends of their stems a a, sliding toes D D', that are alternately operated by a revolving wiper, E, in either direction-of the engines travel, to open the valves for the admission of steam to` the enginecylinder in 'a constant and regular manner, without regard to the cut-oli` action of said valves, the wiper E being say, a projection from or attachment to a sleeve or hollow shaft, F, which derives its motion by bevel-gearing, b c, from the main shaft of the engine in any desired manner. In this way is a sudden or quick and fixed or invariable opening-action given to the valves C C, in whichever direction the engine runs, by reason of the doubleor similar reverse construction of thesliding toes D D' and wiper E, to alternately open said valves for the admission of steam to the engine-cylinder.

To establish the'cut-off action in a mechanical or positive manner to these separate or independent valves, without or instead of merely depending upon gravity, or the aid of springs to clfect their closing, and this in a variable manner, which may he under the control of the governor', or hand, as desired, I cause a separate revolving wiper, G,to act upon independent sliding toes H H, both constructed to similarly operate under either or both directions of the engines travel, and so couple or hang said wiper, and connect said sliding toes with the valve-stems or toes immediately connected therewith, so that accordingly as the toes H H are operated sooner or later, they serve to give the cnt-oit' action to the valves that is, shut o further ingress of steam through them to the engine-cylinder. To secure the necessary revolving motion to the wiper G, in common with the wiper E, and adjustability or lead 01 throw of the former to establish a variable cut-off under control of the governor, the independent wiper G is here shown as driven or revolved by a shaft, I, in feather-gear with the hollow shaft F, so as to rotate with and be driven by the latter,but free to move longitudinally through it, and said inner shaft I, geared with the independent wiper G, by means of a spiral thread or groove, al, so that .while the revolving ofthe shaft F, with its wiper E, induces a like motion to the independent wiper G, the latter is adjusted or set, by its spiral gear, with the shaft I, to give an earlier or later cnt-off action to the valves by the sliding action lcngitudinlly of the inner shaft I, accordingly as, say, the governor so controls or actuates' the shaft I. vThe independent sliding toes H H', on or against which the wiper G acts, are here shown as geared with the valve-stems or primary toes D D by means of levers, J J', working on intermediate pivots or centres e e,hut other connections may, of' course, be substituted, as' may other arrangements or disposi-tions of parts be adopted for establishing'simultaneous rotation of the wipers and G, vWith independent adjustability, while rotating. of the latter wiper under control of4 the governor to establish a variable cut-off,Y as described. Thus the shaft I might ha.ve\a fixed relationship, so far as any longitudinal act-ion is concerned, and be carrying or driving one ofthe primry wipers, E, while the ut-o` wiper, G, niightbe in spiral `gear-'with said shaft, and have a. longitudinal 111050.11 Bilder control of the governor, with suitzibledepth-or length of operating-surface to insure its action on the toes H H', under any or every adjustment of it, or the primary wiper, E, might be connected solas .to have a straight, longitudinal, as well as rotary motion, or the spiral connection of the crit-off wiper, G, with an operating-shaft or sleeve be established on the outside of it.

By this mode of operating the separate induction-valves of an' engine, not only is a fixed or invariable and sudden and full n ctin communi-'cated to said valves, so'far as their opening is concerned to admi-t steam to the. engine-cylinder, and ayariable cut-o' motion, und-er control of the'governor, given to said valves in a mechanica-l or positive manner, so as to cnt oli' as early or late as desiredin the' pistonsstroke, but saidiseparate induction-valves have the four motions, that is, -twoito each valve, namely, opening and closing, given them by but two cams or wipers; and by the arrangement of the levers J J'rooupling, respectively, the sliding. toes D H. and D' H", both the opening and closing actions are given to vsziid valves on or from the sameside-oflthe shafts I and F as that on which either valve lies, thus dispensing with yokes for operation fromopposite sides of the cms shaft or shafts, also with extra cams or wipers for thus operating separate induction-valves, each ot'which, it will be seen, by this 'combination of devices, is separately controllable through the one cam, as regards cut-ofi', by reasonof the disconnected relationship of the toes H H The necessary eduction-valves are not here shov'i'n, as they form no part of ,this invention. I

What is here clained, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent,l is

The combination, `with the separate induction-valves to opposite ends of the engine-cylinder, of the 'ixed com E and variable cam G, arranged for action in either direction `of the engines travel, substantially as described, opening and -cut-oif toes D. H andV H', geared by'leversJ- J', or their equivalents, frjoint but independent action in opposite sidesv of the aires of the cams, and wherebyinot only are the valves opened and closed independently of each other, andeach iliade capable of di'erent cut-oi` strokes by the actionof said 'c'ams on the toes, butwvher'eby both lthe opening and closing niovement is given to either valve, respectively, from the.

same' side of the axes of the c'ams as that on .which the'valye lies, essentially as herein set forth.

WM.v WRIGHT., Witnesses:

J. W. Cocinas, A. LE CLERC. 

